GENERAL: This year, the month of Ramadan is expected to commence on June 6th and last for 29 to 30 days. During this time working hours for the public and private sectors in some countries observing the month of Ramadan will be reduced. This may result in delays to mail delivery for some destinations. Ongoing (issue start date: 06/06/16)

Australia – Strong winds in South Australia caused power outages across the state and widespread damage across the city of Adelaide. Several towns in the north of South Australia including William Creek, Oodnadatta and Innamincka are cut off due to road closures following flooding. Ferry services between Kangaroo Island and Cape Jervis have again been cancelled. Expect delays to mail delivery for the effected areas. Ongoing (issue start date: 09/05/16)

Australia – Australia Post has informed us that delivery delays are to be expected in Sydney, Tasmania and Victoria due to severe weather and heavy storms. Ongoing (issue start date: 16/06/16)

Belgium – A 24-hour strike has been announced in Belgium on the 13th of June. Therefore, delays are expected in the processing and delivery of mail and parcel shipments. Both inbound and outbound operations are affected.

UPDATE: We have been informed that the postal labour union (ABVV) have announced a 24hr national strike to take place on Friday 24th June 2016. There is similar action taking place across Belgium within public sector organisations and this will also have a knock on effect – delays should be expected. Resolved (issue start date: 13/06/16 – updated 23/06/16)

Brazil – A tornado has caused severe damage to the city of Campinas in São Paulo state. Expect delays for mail sent to this area. Ongoing (issue start date: 05/06/16)

Brazil – The designated postal operator of Brazil has informed that delivery of letter post mail is experiencing delays due to the customs control in Brazil. Ongoing (issue start date: 01/07/16)

Canada – Canada Post is working on contingency measures to serve the people of Fort McMurray displaced by the fires. Delivery to the area is currently suspended. All mail and parcels destined for Fort McMurray will be held securely in Edmonton until plans are in place. Ongoing (issue start date: 06/05/16)

Canada – As advised by the postal administration of Canada, due to the mail backlog at the office of exchange some mail sent to Canada will be subject to delay. Regions being affected include post codes beginning with R, S, T, V, X and Y. place. Ongoing (issue start date: 10/05/16)

China – Heavy storms have hit the centre, south west and east of China. Heavy rains have caused flooding and traffic disruptions in Shanghai. The airports SHA, PVG, PEK and CAN reported numerous weather-related flight cancellations and delays. Resolved (issue start date: 20/05/16)

Ecuador – Due to the recent major earthquake in Ecuador, delays are expected in mail services.Ongoing (issue start date: 16/04/16)

Finland – We have been informed that Rovaniemi Airport will be closed from 28th June until 31st July due to essential maintenance work. Mail sent to postal codes 97-99 will take one extra day to deliver due to the closure.Ongoing (issue start date: 28/06/16)

France – Seven unions in France have called for a general strike. Disruptions in transportation (air and rail traffic, public transport) are to be expected. Air traffic controllers will participate in the strike, too. Airlines have been asked to cut back flights to and from France.

UPDATE: The two further days of national strikes that were previously advised for the 26th May and 14th June, took place with only limited disruption to mail delivery times. We will advise accordingly if further action by air traffic controllers is announced. Resolved (issue start date: 27/04/16 – updated 17/06/16)

France – Air France pilot unions announced they are to stage another 4-day strike commencing 23rd June. Therefore please expect delays in the processing and delivery of your mail and parcel shipments to France. Ongoing (issue start date: 23/06/16)

France – Expect a delay for some mail due to an industrial action at the Fontenay Aux Roses (92260) distribution centre, the Royan distribution centre (17200) and the Bayonne distribution centre (64100). Also expect a delay for some mail to departments 02 and 80. This is due to a technical problem in the Amiens Pic sorting centre. Ongoing (issue start date: 20/06/16)

France – La Poste have informed us that transport and delivery of mail, parcels is suffering disruption following serious floods that have hit certain regions of the country, and in particular the Paris region, since 31 May. Resolved (issue start date: 31/05/16)

France – Due to a technical problem at the sorting centre in Amiens Pic, some mail may arrive a day later to the 02 and 80 areas.Ongoing (issue start date: 27/06/16)

Germany – We have been informed that the German union ‘Verdi’ has announced strike action for Wednesday 27th April. The strike will affect all ground handling, check-in and aviation security at the following airports: Munich, Cologne and Dortmund (whole day), Frankfurt (07:00-15:00), Dusseldorf (03:00-14:00) and Hanover-Langenhagen (04:30-15:00). Please expect delays for all inbound and outbound mail to/from Germany. Ongoing (issue start date: 27/04/16)

Germany – Deutsche Post have informed us that due to severe flooding, delays should be expected for mail sent to the Bavaria region. Ongoing (issue start date: 02/06/16)

Greece – The Confederation of the Greek workers and the Association of the Civil Servants staged a 48-hour strike from Friday 6th May to Saturday 7th May. This resulted in a 48-hour delay in mail being received, processed and delivered within Greece. Delays should be expected. Ongoing (issue start date: 06/05/16)

India – Heavy rain in northeastern areas of India has resulted in severe flooding and major landslides in the states of Arunachal Pradesh (Tawang district), Assam (districts of Lakhimpur, Jorhat and Sivsagar), and Nagaland (Mon district). Furthermore, the delivery of mail was affected in Pudukkottai (Tamil Nadu province), following a flash strike by postmen. Ongoing (issue start date: 25/04/16)

India – According to media reports, Air India pilots have decided to go on strike. This may cause delays for mail processing and delivery. We will update once we receive official notification and clarification regarding the situation. Ongoing (issue start date: 10/05/16)

Indonesia – The customs clearance process of Pos Indonesia will not be operating from 2 to 10 July 2016. All items received during this period will be processed at the earliest on 11 July 2016. Therefore please expect delays in the processing and delivery of your mail and parcel shipments. Ongoing (issue start date: 02/07/16)

Italy – Meridiana and Alitalia staff in Rome (Fiumicino) and Milan (Linate, Malpensa) as well as air traffic controllers and airport workers in Milan (Linate, Malpensa), have announced air traffic strikes from June 17th onwards. Delays may occur. Ongoing (issue start date: 17/06/16)

Italy – Railway unions in Italy have announced a 24-hour rail strike for June 23 – 24, which will particularly affect cargo traffic in the country. Delays may be encountered. Ongoing (issue start date: 23/06/16)

Ivory Coast – Customs in Ivory Coast are observing a strike which is due to end on Friday 29th April. Delays are to be expected. Ongoing (issue start date: 28/04/16)

Japan – Heavy storms have hit Thailand and Japan. In Japan, heavy rain has particularly affected the Kumamoto Prefecture, causing flooding and landslides. This situation will affect the reception and delivery of postal items. Please note that service delays are expected. Ongoing (issue start date: 20/06/16)

Japan – Japan is strengthening their customs inspection of inbound mail as part of counter-terrorism measures. Therefore, Japan Post has requested all items containing goods are accompanied by the required documents. Please attach a customs declaration form to postal items containing goods, and provide accurate information on the contents for customs declaration. Failure to comply with this request could lead to delays or the return of mail items sent to Japan. mail services to Libya are currently suspended. Ongoing (issue start date: 29/03/16)

Japan – Japan Post has informed us that Kumamoto Prefecture has been severely affected by the strong earthquakes which have occurred in Japan since 14 April 2016. The earthquakes have caused major disruption of rail and road transport in the affected area and neighbouring regions. The postcode areas affected are as follows: 860xxxx – 869xxxx (Kumamoto Prefecture), 880xxxx – 889xxxx (Miyazaki Prefecture) and 890xxxx – 899xxxx (Kagoshima Prefecture). Delays are being experienced in the transport of all inbound/outbound mail items (letters, parcels and EMS) in these areas. Ongoing (issue start date: 14/04/16)

Kenya – Flooding in Mombassa county have caused considerable damage to roads and buildings. Delays in mail delivery is to be expected. Ongoing (issue start date: 24/04/16)

Mongolia – The 29th June 2016 has been declared a public holiday due to the parliamentary election being held in Mongolia. Consequently there wil be no delivery of letters, parcels and EMS items on this date. Ongoing (issue start date: 29/06/16)

Nepal – An earthquake, approximately 50 miles north west of Kathmandu, has caused severe damage in northern Nepal. Severe disruption to mail services nationwide is to be expected.

UPDATE: All mail services in Nepal have been officially suspended and Kathmandu Airport is now closed to all commercial cargo due to the humanitarian relief effort in the region. Ongoing (issue start date: 27/04/15 – updated 30/04/15)

Namibia – As a result of a breakdown of some IT systems since June 22nd, there will be delays in the delivery of letters, parcels and EMS items. Ongoing (issue start date: 22/06/16)

Norway – The main highway between Oslo and Bergen is closed due to a landslide, it is anticipated that this will take a number of days to re-open. Delivery delays are expected in the West of Norway. Ongoing (issue start date: 10/06/16)

Papua New Guinea – Port Moresby (Capital city of Papua New Guinea) and other major cities around the country are currently experiencing civil unrest. Post offices have been closed since midday on Wednesday 8 June 2016 and may be closed for the rest of the week. This has resulted in delays in the processing and delivery of all incoming international mail.Resolved (issue start date: 08/06/16)

Poland – We have been informed that as of the 6th of June, a strike by customs services/personnel commenced. This is causing disruption to the receipt and processing of mail within Poland, especially items subject to customs control. Delays should be expected.

UPDATE: The strike by Polish customs officials has now ended. There may still be delays in the processing of dispatches due to the backlog of incoming mail. The situation should return to normal this week.Resolved (issue start date: 06/06/16 – updated 05/07/16)

Poland – Due to the upcoming NATO summit (Warsaw, 7-10 July) and World Youth Day (Cracow, 25-31 July), zones with restricted traffic will be created. Difficulties in the centre of both cities and traffic problems at the sorting centres may affect all post offices that exchange mail dispatches in Warsaw and Cracow. During this time, we expect difficulties which may affect timely delivery. (issue start date: 07/07/16)

Portugal – All CTT Correios (PT) informs that the handling agency “Groundforce” has announced strike actions in Portugal for a period of three days, from 1st July until 3rd July. These actions will have an impact on the processing times of inbound, outbound and transit mail. (issue start date: 01/07/16)

Saudi Arabia – It has been advised that, with immediate effect, Saudi Arabian Customs has introduced some changes for all Non-Document shipments sent to Saudi Arabia. All B2C shipments that contain materials other than documents/printed matter will require the Consignee’s ID number. Where this is not provided, the parcel may be delayed in clearing customs until the ID number is obtained from the consignee. All B2B shipments of non-document materials will require a Commercial Registration Form from the consignee. This will be requested from the consignee when arriving in the country and upon receipt of the form, the parcel can be cleared through customs. Ongoing (issue start date: 15/04/16)

Serbia – The designated operator of Serbia, Public Enterprise Post of Serbia, is in the process of upgrading its systems. Consequently, delays in the transmission of data may have been experienced between 25 and 27 June 2016 which may result in mail and parcels to Serbia experiencing slight delays. Ongoing (issue start date: 27/06/16)

Turkey – There will be a 24 -48 hour delay to deliveries across Turkey and any flights routed via Istanbul as a result of the bombing of Istanbul Ataturk airport on 28th June. In addition to deliveries across Turkey, the following routes may be affected: North Cyprus, Israel, Afghanistan, Georgia, Mauritania, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. Ongoing (issue start date: 28/06/16)

USA – Weather conditions prompted numerous flight delays and cancellations at New York’s airports JFK, LGA and EWR. In preparation for Tropical Storm Colin, which is to hit Florida with violent gusts of wind, heavy rainfall and tornadoes, the state of emergency was declared in 34 counties. At Tampa Airport, flights were already canceled or postponed. Ongoing (issue start date: 05/06/15)

Yemen – All mail services to Yemen have now been suspended. Ongoing (issue start date: 27/03/15)